Heat-controlling device

Abstract

A heat-controlling device is provided with a transporting carriage for supporting and transporting a semiconductor substrate and a heating device having a plurality of heaters which apply heat in the width-wise direction of the heat-receiving member that is perpendicular to the transporting direction thereof and which are individually controlled by a controller. The controller only operates a set of the heaters that are adjacent the semiconductor substrate. Among the heaters being operated, those heaters, which are located at at least the leading end and the rear end in the transporting direction, have their outputs successively varied in accordance with the movement of the semiconductor substrate. Thus, it becomes possible to easily narrow the temperature distribution of the semiconductor substrate merely by controlling the output of the heaters.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A heat-controlling device comprising: transporting means for supporting and transporting a heat-receiving member in a transporting direction;   a plurality of heating means for applying heat in a width-wise direction of the heat-receiving member, the width-wise direction being perpendicular to the transporting direction, the heating means being placed along the transporting direction of the heat-receiving member; and   control means for individually controlling an amount of heat generated by each of said plurality of heating means, and for setting a heating range of said heating means at a length that does not exceed a length of the heat-receiving member in the transporting direction; and for only operating the heating means that are included in the heating range; and for allowing specific-position heating means, which are located at at least the leading end and the rear end in the transporting direction among the heating means that are being operated, to successively vary their outputs in accordance with the movement of the heat-receiving member.   
     
     
       2. The heat-controlling device as defined in claim 1, wherein the control means further varies the outputs of the specific-position heating means so as to compensate for heat loss that is resulted from the movement of the heat-receiving member. 
     
     
       3. The heat-controlling device as defined in claim 1, wherein: the transporting means comprises an opening that allows the heat-receiving member to face the heating means; and the control means also successively stops the output of the heating means, which applies heat to a rear end of the opening in the transporting direction, in accordance with the movement of the heat-receiving member. 
     
     
       4. The heat-controlling device as defined in claim 3, wherein the heat-receiving member is placed on a heat-equalizing plate that is installed in a manner so as to cover the opening in the transporting means. 
     
     
       5. The heat-controlling device as defined in claim 4, wherein a heat-insulating member is placed between a peripheral edge of the heat-equalizing plate and a peripheral edge of the heat-receiving member. 
     
     
       6. The heat-controlling device as defined in claim 1, wherein the heat-receiving member is a substrate used for forming a semiconductor element. 
     
     
       7. The heat-controlling device as defined in claim 1, wherein the control means further controls the heating means in such a manner that among the plurality of the heating means that are included within the heating range, those heating means except for the specific-position heating means have their outputs maintained virtually constant. 
     
     
       8. The heat-controlling device as defined in claim 1, wherein said control means provides control in such a manner that an elapsed time, which is counted based on the time at which the leading-end face of the heat-receiving member being transported is coincident with a given leading face of the heating means, is defined as t s !, an installation interval of the heating means is defined as lr m !, a length of the heat-receiving member in the transporting direction is defined as lg  m!, a transporting velocity of the heat-receiving member resulted from the transporting means is defined as v  m/s!, and an output of the heating means at a given elapsed time t s! is defined as H(t)  W/m 2  !, the output H(t)  W/m 2  ! of the heating means is varied so as to compensate for heat loss resulted from the movement of the heat-receiving member in the case of the elapsed time t s! of 0≦t≦lr/v s! and (lg-2lr)/v≦t≦(lg-lr)/v s!, while output H(t)  W/m 2  ! of the heating means is maintained virtually constant in the case of the elapsed time t s! of lr/v≦t≦(lg-2lr)/v s!. 
     
     
       9. The heat-controlling device as defined in claim 8, wherein: the heat-receiving member has a rectangular shape with its leading face and rear face in parallel with the width direction of the heating means, a constant output of the heating means per unit area required for maintaining the heat-receiving member at a uniform temperature is defined as Hs  W/m 2  !, and an output of the heating means in the case of 0≦t≦lr/v s! and (lg-2lr)/v≦t≦(lg-lr)/v  s! is defined as Hv(t)  W/m 2  ! with the heat-receiving member being transported, the output of the heating means is given as Hv(t)  W/m 2  ! satisfying a following equation (1), in the case of the elapsed time t  s! of 0≦t≦lr/v s!: ##EQU7## the output of the heating means is given as Hs  W/m 2  ! in the case of the elapsed time t s! of lr/v≦t≦(lg-2lr)/v s!, and the output of the heating means is given as Hv(t)  W/m 2  ! satisfying a following equation (2), in the case of the elapsed time t s! of (lg-2lr)/v≦t≦(lg-lr)/v s!: ##EQU8##   
     
     
       10. The heat-controlling device as defined in claim 1, wherein: the heat-receiving member is placed and transported on a plate-shape member that is moved integrally with the transporting means, and the heating means heats the heat-receiving member through the plate-shaped member. 
     
     
       11. The heat-controlling device as defined in claim 1, wherein a heat-insulating member, which is moved integrally with the transporting means, is placed in the vicinity of a peripheral edge of the heat-receiving member. 
     
     
       12. The heat-controlling device as defined in claim 11, wherein: a heat-receiving surface of the heat-receiving member is allowed to closely contact a central region of a plate-shaped member that is larger than the heat-receiving surface and that is moved integrally with the transporting means, and the heat-insulating member is placed between a peripheral edge of the plate-shaped member and a peripheral edge of the heat-receiving member. 
     
     
       13. The heat-controlling device as defined in claim 1, wherein a heat-receiving surface of the heat-receiving member is allowed to closely contact a central region of a plate-shaped member that is larger than the heat-receiving surface and that is moved integrally with the transporting means. 
     
     
       14. The heat-controlling device as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the heating means includes a heating lamp that is aligned in the width-wise direction perpendicular to the transporting direction of the heat-receiving member, and a reflection member for reflecting heat from the heating lamp so as to irradiate the heat-receiving member. 
     
     
       15. The heat-controlling device as defined in claim 14, wherein the heating lamps are placed with equal intervals. 
     
     
       16. A heat-controlling device comprising: a frame for supporting a heat-receiving member and for transporting the heat-receiving member in a transporting direction;   a plurality of heating elements, each heating element for applying heat to the heat-receiving member in a widthwise direction of the heat-receiving member, the widthwise direction being perpendicular to the transporting direction, said plurality of heating elements being spaced from each other along the transporting direction; and   a controller for individually controlling a level of applied heat for each of said plurality of heating elements;   wherein the heat-receiving member has a member length taken in the transporting direction;   said controller causes a set of said heating elements to apply heat at a given time;   a set length of said set of heating elements, taken in the transporting direction, is shorter than the member length of the heat-receiving member; and   said set of heating elements applying heat is adjacent to the heat-receiving member and changes to follow the heat-receiving member, as the heat-receiving member is transported in the transporting direction.   
     
     
       17. The heat-controlling device as defined in claim 16, wherein at least the heating elements located at the ends of said set of heating elements applying heat, taken in the transporting direction, have their applied heat level varied under control of said controller, as the heating-receiving member moves in the transporting direction, and wherein said controller causes a heating element located at a forward end of said set of heating elements, taken in the transporting direction, to apply a heat level at a first level, as the heat-receiving member is initially located adjacent said heating element located at a forward end of said set, and later causes that same heating element to reduce its applied heat level to a second level which is less than said first level, as said heat-receiving member moves in the transporting direction. 
     
     
       18. The heat-controlling device as defined in claim 16, wherein at least the heating elements located at the ends of said set of heating elements applying heat, taken in the transporting direction, have their applied heat level varied under control of said controller, as the heating-receiving member moves in the transporting direction, and wherein said controller causes a heating element located at a rearward end of said set of heating elements, taken in the transporting direction, to apply an elevated heat level, as the heat-receiving member is near passing out of an adjacent relationship to said heating element located at a rearward end of said set, and later causes that same heating element to reduce its applied heat level to substantially zero, as said heat-receiving member moves in the transporting direction. 
     
     
       19. A heat-controlling device comprising: transporting means for supporting and transporting a heat-receiving member in a transporting direction; and   heating means, placed along the transporting direction of the heat-receiving member, for heating the heat-receiving member,   wherein a heat-insulating member, which is moved integrally with the transporting means, is placed in the vicinity of a peripheral edge of the heat-receiving member.   
     
     
       20. The heat-controlling device as defined in claim 12, wherein: a heat-receiving surface of the heat-receiving member is allowed to closely contact a central region of a plate-shaped member that is larger than the heat-receiving surface and that is moved integrally with the transporting means, and the heat-insulating member is placed between a peripheral edge of the plate-shaped member and a peripheral edge of the heat-receiving member.